[Sexual abuse of underage children: incest and extra-familial abuse]

After defining the concept of sexual abuse and its limitations, the author demonstrates how the confrontation with sexual abuse may provoke counter-transferential movements in staff members and spoil the quality of help programs. The author then outlines the pathogenesis of the concept and describes clinical signs, acute or chronic, presented by the abused child. He then discusses the diagnostic process according to diverse disclosure situations (by the child him/herself, parent-witness, etc.). Reliability of the revelations are then discussed. Two important parts of this paper deal with intervention methods: first, the crisis intervention, focused on collecting information, support to the suffering persons, active protection of the child and possible collaboration with judiciary authorities; cure intervention: social help to the family, speech groups, role of punishment, etc.